Cuspidor.



I I I 7 DAVID S. GREEN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

CUSPIDOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 5, 1907.

Application filed December 15, 1906. Serial No. 348.022.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID S. GREEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Cuspidors, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention has relation to improvements in cuspidors, (speciallyadapted for use in railway-cars and it consists in the novelconstruction and arrangement of parts, more fully set forth in thespecification and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a section of a car-floor, showingmy invention applied thereto and showing a chair behind the cuspidor,the latter being depressed below the car-floor and out of commission.Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the cuspidor in operative position.Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1, the floor beingremoved and parts being broken away. Fig. 4 is a vertical section online 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a sectional detail of the cuspidor,showing the discharge-plug therefor in open position; and Fig. 6 is asectional detail on line 6 6 of Fig. 2.

The object of my invention is to provide railway-cars with a cuspidorwhich may be depressed below the car-floor when not in use, one whosecontents canbe readily discharged, one easily manipulated, and onepossessing further and other advantages better apparent-from a detaileddescription of the invention, which is as follows:

Referring to the drawings, O represents a section of a car, S a chair orseat, and F the car-floor. Located at and secured to the side of the caris a casing 1, terminating in an upper enlarged chamber 1, within whichis mounted a lever 2, the shank of whose terminal knob 3 operates in acurved slot 4 in the casing-wall, the lever having pivotally coupledthereto the upper end of alink 5, confined in the casing 1, the lowerend of the link projecting through the car-floor and being pivotallysecured to the adjacent end of an arm 6. The arm 6 has its opposite endrigidly secured to a bar 7, which is secured against rotation (about itsown axis) to a lug 8, depending from the end of the short arm of avertically-oscillating bent lever 9, pivotally suspended by studs ortrunnions 10, mounted in the angle-brackets 11, secured beneath thecar-floor. The upper end of the short arm of the lever 9 carries abuffer 12, of rubber or equivalent composition. Secured to the long armof the lever 9 is one end of a spring arm or plate 13, whose free endbears yieldingly against the car-floor, the purpose of which willpresently appear. To the long arm of the lever 9 is secured the spittoonor cuspidor 14, the bottom of whose side wall is provided with adischarge-opening 15, adapted to be closed by a conical plug 16, Fig. 4,the plug having a looped stem 17 projecting through the opening 15, bywhich the plug can be manipulated or forced inwardly, Fig. 5, to allowfor the discharge of the spittoon contents. The spittoon occupies aposition immediately below an opening 18, cut in the floor, the saidopening being normally closed by a lid 19, hinged to the car-floor, thelid being drawn to its closed positionupon a depression of the spittoonthrough the spring connection 20, the ends of the spring being connectedto the lid 19 and to the lever 9, respectively, as shown. Tothe outerwall of the chamber 1 is hinged a hook or latch 21, which is adapted toengage the shank of the knob 3, Fig. 2, and thus hold the lever 2 andthe parts suspended therefrom in a raised position.

When the spittoon is not in use, the parts are released from the latch,Figs. 1, 4, the weight of the spittoon depressing the long arm of thelever 9, which in turn draws the lid 19 after it, closin the opening 18in the floor. In the drop 0 the parts to such inoperative position anysudden impact is arrested by the buffer 12, which thus strikes the floorof the car. To prevent undue jars and vibrations of the spittoonincidental to the travel of the car, the spring 13 comes into play, asits resiliency will tend to hug the carfloor, and thus afford apermanent yielding and elastic support to the depressed spittoon whilethe car is in motion. So, too, whatever may be the extent of theoscillations or vibrations to which the spittoon may be sub jected thecontractile nature of the spring 20 will always keep the lid 19 closed.To use the spittoon, the traveler raises the lever 2 by seizing the knobor handle 3, then passes the hooked end. of the latch 21 under the shankof the knob, thereby retaining the parts in their raised position, Fig.2. In its upward oscillation the spittoon causes the lug or ear 22 toengage the lid 19 near the hinge-axis of the latter, thereby forcing thelid to an open position, when the cuspidor can be used for itslegitimate purpose.

When depressed below the car-floor, Fig. 4, the cuspidor isreadilyaccessible to the train hands, where it may be flushed with a hose andits contents allowed to discharge by forcing inwardly the plug 16, Fig.5.

It is of course obvious from the connections described that the lever 9is free to oscillate about'the axis of its trunnions 10 for a movementof the link 5 in either direction.

Having described my invention, what I claim is In combination with afloor provided with an opening, a lid hinged thereto above the opening,a bent lever pivoted on supports beneath the floor at a pointintermediate its length and carrying a cuspidor on one arm thereof, aconnection between the lid and le-- ver, a lug depending from theopposite arm of the lever, a bar projecting from said lug, an armsecured to the bar, a link passing upward through the floor andpivotally coupled to the arm, and means for controlling the link from apoint above the floor, the parts operating substantially as set forth.

2. In combination with a car-floor provided with an opening, a lidhinged thereto above the opening, a bent lever pivoted on supportsbeneath the floor to move about an intermediate axis; a cuspidor on onearm of the lever positioned beneath the opening to move upward throughthe same, a spring connecting said arm to the lid, a lug depending fromthe end of the opposite arm of the lever, a rigid horizontal bar securedto the lug, an arm rigidly extending from the bar, a link extendingthrough the car-floor and pivotally connected at its lower end to theadj acent end. of the arm, a spring-arm secured to the arm of the levercarrying the cuspidor and having a free end yieldingly bearing againstthe car-floor, a buffer at the end of the opposite arm of the lever, alever pivoted above the car-floor and coupled to the upper end of thelink, and a latch for securing the link in an elevated position, theparts operating substantially as, and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DAVID S. GREEN.

Witnesses:

EMIL STAREK, Jos. A. MICHEL.

